West Boca girls soccer reaches District title game

January 15, 2014|By Jordan Kroeger, Correspondent

BOCA RATON — West Boca entered its district semifinal match with Monarch on Tuesday night ranked eighth (31st in the country) in the state by MaxPreps, but it had a tough test against a team it had defeated by a combined score of 11-1 in its first two meetings this season.

Forward Kelly Harris scored a goal in the final five minutes of regulation to force overtime, then followed that up with the game-winner in the third minute of overtime to give West Boca a 3-2 victory over Monarch and clinch a spot in the District 12-5A championship Thursday night.

West Boca (15-0-2) will face Douglas in the District 12-5A championship Thursday night. Douglas defeated Taravella 3-0 in its semifinal matchup.

With the game tied 2-2 heading into overtime, Harris was so exhausted that she made it a point to make sure that the game wouldn't last much longer. In the third minute of the extra session, Kelly controlled a cross through multiple players and struck the ball into the left side of the net to give the Bulls the victory.

"I saw the ball go through and I wanted to give it my all because I knew it was now or never," Harris said. "I took the chance and followed through with it and I was able to put it away."

Harris was the hero of the night for West Boca. Trailing 2-1 and with its unbeaten season on the line in the closing minutes, West Boca proved why it hadn't lost a game all year. Harris corralled the ball from a Monarch defender, gathered it and put it in the left side of the net to tie the game in the 76th minute to force overtime.

The forward could barely speak after the game but found a way to keep her team's season alive.

"That goal took everything out of me," Harris said. "I had no idea I was capable of scoring that, but I had to try. I had to put the extra touch in there, and by doing that it gave us a chance to get to overtime. Without that extra bit of energy we wouldn't have been where we are."

West Boca led 1-0 at halftime despite 13 shots on goal in the first half. Monarch didn't even manage a shot in the first half but was handed an opportunity in the 44th minute when West Boca was called for a hand ball in the penalty box. Courtney Johnson drilled the penalty kick in the upper right corner of the net to tie the game at 1-1.Twenty minutes later, Monarch finally got its second shot on goal, this one from Haley Schulte that found the net in the 64th minute for a 2-1 lead before Harris and the Bulls rallied in dramatic fashion.

"It was seriously a team effort because without the will of the girls behind me, motivating me, that goal wouldn't have happened," Harris said.